Rotary connections for work machines, such as, for example, cranes or diggers have been known for a long time, for example from DE 39 42 847 A1 and are used for the rotary connection, for example, of a crane undercarriage to a crane superstructure. Rotary connections of this type have two bearing rings and bearing bodies arranged in between. To increase the bearing capacity of the rotary connection, raceways in the form of hardened wire races are inserted into the bearing rings. Wire rolling bearings are known from “Rothe Erde, Drahtwälzlager”, special edition from the technical “Rundschau” Bern/Switzerland, No. 18, 1957. The bearing bodies are configured there, in particular as balls, which are arranged on spring steel wires, which are placed on the bearing rings. Rotary connections of this type have a high static dynamic load rating, which may be between 25000 kN and 55000 kN, for example, for a load in the axial direction of a rotational axis and may be more than 5000 kN for a load in the radial direction of the rotational axis. This means that the main load is oriented along the rotational axis. The static dynamic load rating is also called the bearing capacity. In order to make such a large bearing capacity possible, large bearing bodies and large bearing rings are necessary in order to be able to withstand the loads to be borne. The diameter of a raceway, along which the bearing bodies are arranged, may be up to 5 m or more. The diameter of an individual bearing body may be 50 mm and more. Rotary connections of this type in particular have a large overall height so the work machines equipped therewith have a high space requirement. The overall size is taken to mean the outer dimensions of the rotary connection, in other words the outer diameter and the overall height. A large rotary connection is heavy and expensive. The production and, in particular, the assembly of wire rolling bearings is laborious and complicated. In particular, such bearings have to be produced without play. The adjustment and calibration of bearings of this type is time-consuming and expensive. Bearings of this type are used, in particular, for precision bearings. The outlay for setting and adjustment is large.
Further rotary connections are known, for example, from DE 10 2009 035 749 A1, EP 1 239 171 A2, GB 988,169, DE 12 02 617 A, DE 20 2007 002 609 U1 and DE 12 01 128 A. Bearings of this type, in particular, have a reduced static dynamic load rating. Rotary connections of this type are not suitable for use in work machines such as, for example, cranes or diggers.